NCMS Teams Up with Marines to Optimize Warfighter Logistics

The NCMS Coalition Logistics Interoperability Joint Logistics Integration (CLI-JLI) team recently participated in Defense Department exercise to assess the interoperability of multi-national logistic systems on the battlefield. The ability to optimize the logistics supply chain of US forces with our international allies on military missions becomes critical to maintain system readiness and insure safety of soldiers in the field.

Over 1800 personnel participated with 600 pieces of equipment from 35 partner nations to evaluate procedures to reduce redundancy in logistical assets and increase the overall interoperability for future coalition operations.

This exercise continues NCMS’ support of Department of Defense (DoD) efforts for logistics inter-operability including Sense and Respond Logistics (S&RL) demonstrations, technical development initiatives, technology and efforts to develop of the necessary tools required to optimize logistics.

Other tools developed or used by the team include the US DoD-led NATO Support Agency (NSPA) SORT tool, Maintenance and Repair DEX, different PLCS engines (Share-A-Space; EveryPLM), and Automated Information Management Solution (AIMS) with several of the modules being targeted.

AIMS with the Automated Armory module has shown great potential and received favorable reviews from the Marines. The system increases accuracy in tracking and issuing weapons by using current technology with scanners, bar codes, and biometric authentication to expedite the process. AIMS is currently being tested in Afghanistan.

Capt. Dave McGrath, operations officer for Marine Wing Support Squadron 274, out of Cherry Point, N.C., which participated in the exercise, said he planned to ask for the system for his unit before the week was out.

“For all 530 of my Marines, to issue their weapons would probably take me two days,” McGrath said. “This can do it in an hour.”

The team previously performed proof of concept testing with other tools in Europe at the NATO exercise Coalition Warrior Interoperability Exercise (CWIX) at the Joint Forces Training Center (JFTC) in Bydgoszcz, Poland in June 2012. Logistical data was exchanged between the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Finland, the UK MoD British Army and the NATO (NSPA) Shareable Operational Resource Tool.

This NCMS project team continues work it efforts to provide US forces and their allies the ability to pool supply chain information including maintenance and repair data. The result will help reduce redundancy and streamline logistical support functions while generating data that will be used to further improve system readiness and reduce cost for all participating nations.